A federal judge denied Fugees rapper Pras Michel’s request to stay out of prison while he appeals his illegal foreign lobbying convictions and resulting 14-year prison sentence, though he did win a two-month postponement before reporting.
The rapper, who received the lengthy sentence after a jury found him guilty in 2023 of waging a “foreign influence campaign,” had argued he should be allowed to appeal the verdict before he reports to prison, saying it would reveal huge problems with his 2023 jury trial.
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But in a ruling on Thursday (Jan. 22), Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said it appeared unlikely that Michel’s arguments would sway the appeals court into overturning his conviction or sentence.
“This court has already opined that the issues raised by defendant do not warrant an acquittal or a new trial, particularly considering the overwhelming weight of the evidence against him,” the judge said. “Defendant’s reiteration of the same arguments do not change this Court’s mind.”
The judge did, however, agree to postpone Michel’s prison report date, saying she would allow him time to ask the appeals court for a similar release on bail during his appeal. Pras had been set to report next week, but the judge said she would push that back until March 30.
Composed of Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean and Michel, the Fugees rose to fame in the 1990s with hits like “Killing Me Softly,” “Ready or Not” and “Fu-Gee-La.” After splitting up in 1998, the three each had successful solo careers and mostly stayed separate until recent years, during which they’ve attempted multiple reunion tours.
In 2019, Michel was hit with sweeping federal criminal charges over accusations that he funneled money from fugitive Malaysian financier Jho Low, the mastermind of the billion-dollar 1MDB embezzlement scheme, to a lobbying campaign aimed at getting the first Trump administration to drop its investigation into Low. He was also accused of secretly funneling Low’s money to Barack Obama’s 2012 presidential campaign, and of later trying to influence an extradition case on behalf of China.
In April 2023, following a trial that included testimony from actor Leonardo DiCaprio and former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Michel was convicted on 10 counts, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government. Last year, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison and ordered to forfeit a whopping $64 million allegedly linked to the scheme.
